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AMMAN — The number of swine flue (H1N1) cases in the Kingdom has reached 102, resulting in two fatalities, Assistant Secretary General of the Ministry of Health Adnan Ishaq told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

The flu is seasonal, most frequently occurring between November until March, Ishaq said, noting cases have been reported from around the Kingdom, which is normal, stressing that this is “no cause for alarm”.

He said that weather conditions throughout the winter play a “significant role” in spreading H1N1, noting that rain deters the spread of swine flu, whereas dry and cold weather conditions allow swine flu to spread, increasing the possibility of infection.

Each year, the ministry issues circulars to all public and private hospitals to take necessary preventive measures to decrease the likelihood of the flu spreading among patients, Ishaq said.

Jordan, he noted, announces the number of cases regularly, alerting the public to take precautions against the flu.

Ishaq added that the annual flu vaccine, administered before winter begins at clinics and pharmacies, helps in combating H1N1, as it does not prevent a person from being affected, but makes the symptoms “much less severe” than they normally would be. 

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday recieved Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono, and the two discussed means of enhancing Jordan and Japan's strategic partnerships, as well as the latest regional developments.  

During the meeting, the two sides stressed that the Kingdom and Japan are taking practical steps towards enhancing joint cooperation in various fields, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Talks also covered recent international efforts against the Daesh terror  group, as well as means of combatting terrorism through a military-security-ideology approach. Both Safadi and Kono stressed maintaining cooperation and coordination in this arena. 

Safadi also voiced the Kingdom's appreciation for Japan's supportive role for the Kingdom's economic development, underpinning Jordan's efforts towards confronting the repercussions of the regional crises, notably the Syrian refugee influxes.

Safadi also thanked the Japanese minister for his country's support for UNRWA.  

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti also met with Kono on Sunday.

The two sides discussed means of enhancing cooperation and coordination on various issues of interest to both countries’ armies, as well as the latest regional and international developments, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

AMMAN — Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Sunday urged the government to take economic decisions benefitting lower-income citizens.

The speaker’s remarks came during a meeting of the Parliamentary Financial Committee of the Lower House, with the attendance of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and a number of ministers and deputies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

A series of meetings with the government were held ahead of sending the draft state budget law for 2020 and budgets of independent public entities to the Lower House, Tarawneh said, highlighting the two sides' agreement on different issues.   

Tarawneh reiterated the House's rejection of wage differentials in the public sector, calling on the government to increase salaries and incentives.

To cut spending, the deputies have urged the government to merge the independent commissions, notably energy commissions, as well as reconsider energy agreements within a set timeframe, he said.

Tarawneh also highlighted the importance of the government's supervision of the budgets of public companies, which receive support from the State Treasury but are “not subject to any supervision”.

He also expressed criticism of the government's “lack of commitment” to the figures of the budgets, calling for the application of “true values and applicable figures”.

Talks also covered public-private sector partnerships, with calls to give special attention to this issue.  

In addition, the Lower House speaker urged the government to cut food sales tax to alleviate citizens' burdens, highlighting that the government has shown a “real interest” in reconsidering income tax.   

For his part, Razzaz said that the government has amended the current civil service system, which serves the public sector, adding that it decided to merge the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission with the Energy Commission.

Razzaz also said that the government increased the portion for capital investments in the state budget, affirming that 21 projects will be prepared over the next few months.    

AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday praised the UN General Assembly’s decision to renew the UNRWA mandate.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi took to Twitter the same day to express the Kingdom's gratitude for the move, writing: "Grateful to all (169 countries) who voted in support of renewing #UNRWA mandate. This is a vote in support of refugees right to live in dignity. Refugees issue can only be resolved on basis of Int’l law within a comprehensive solution that ends the occupation that began in 1967."

In November of 2019, the General Assembly voted to extend the mandate of the Palestinian refugee agency until 2023, Xinhua news agency reported.

Maintaining UNRWA means protecting the right of 5 million Palestinian refugees to dignified living, the right of half a million students to education and the right of hundreds of thousands to healthcare, Safadi had said in an earlier Foreign Ministry statement.

Rallying support for UNRWA, Jordan has repeatedly reiterated that UNRWA is tied to the refugee cause, which is one of the "most significant final-status issues and must be resolved in accordance with international legislative decisions", most notably UNGA Resolution 194 and the Arab Peace initiative, to guarantee the refugees’ rights of return and compensation.

The agency provides vital schooling and medical services to some 5 million Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In Jordan, over 2.1 million registered Palestinian refugees distributed among 10 camps benefit from the agency’s services and financial aid.

The agency runs 169 schools in the Kingdom, serving some 120,000 enrolled students, as well as a faculty of science and educational arts, 25 primary healthcare centres and other services, according to Agence France-Presse news agency.

In 2018, the US suspended and later cut all funding for UNRWA, causing a financial crisis within the agency that threatened to see its schools and hospitals closed.

AMMAN — USAID has granted the Treasury around $745 million under a cash transfer agreement signed on Sunday, the last one of its kind for 2019.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi and Mission Director of USAID Jim Barnhart in the presence of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and Charge d'Affaires of the American Embassy ​​Karen Sasahara.

Rabadi said at the signing that this grant will be part of the 2019 budget, “contributing to reducing the budget deficit, as it is expected that the value of the grant will be transferred to the Treasury’s account before the end of the current year”.

The US signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jordanian government in 2018 that outlined the aid it will provide to the Kingdom from 2018 to 2022, with the initial amount of total aid at $6 billion. However, the US government has increased the amount of funding since then, the minister stated.

The total economic assistance provided to the Kingdom by the US for the year 2019 is around $1.15 billion, including the cash grant signed on Sunday, which included an increase of around $300 million over the indicative value.

“This is a decades-old partnership between Jordan and the United States to support economic stability, enhance democratic governance and improve basic services provided to meet the needs of the Jordanian people,” said Barnhart.

At the signing, it was mentioned that the money will be used to support economic development, provide employment opportunities, improve the quality of life and promote local development.

Part of the additional amount — $50 million — will be allocated to the Kingdom by the US Congress as extra support within the aid fund. 

“Congress as a whole realises Jordan’s importance in the stability of the region.” Barnhart said.

Rabadi, for his part, said: “We look forward to more cooperation between the two countries at various levels and in various fields, which will have a significant impact in supporting the implementation of national reform and development plans and programmes, foremost among which are the priorities of the government's work for the years 2019-2022."

His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts in empowering and strengthening cooperation with the US were highlighted, with Barnhart saying that the Jordanian government is "taking serious economic and political reforms to put the Kingdom on a path leading to a future based on self-reliance, and the United States will remain a firm partner for Jordan during this process".

He added that the US’ help in establishing government e-services has "improved the transparency and efficiency of the public sector". 

He concluded that the main focus in the near future will be on increasing access to education, healthcare and water for millions of Jordanians.

The money will also be used to meet some of the expenses incurred by the Syrian refugee crisis, he concluded.

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh on Sunday said that the government will announce the fourth and final executive package to improve the national economy next week.

The package will focus on the services sector, and will include decisions and measures that improve the quality of services provided to citizens, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

The fourth package comes within the framework of the government's commitment to an integrated economic programme that stimulates the national economy, Adaileh said.

AMMAN — Bahraini Ambassador to Jordan Ahmed Bin Yousef Al Ruwai on Sunday expressed his pride in the relations between Bahrain and Jordan and the countries' strategic partnership based on common interests. Ruwai affirmed his country's appreciation for Jordan's support of the security and stability of Bahrain.

The ambassador told the Jordanian News Agency, Petra, on the occasion of Bahrain’s celebration of its national day, that these relations were established by His Majesty King Abdullah and King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa based on moderation and mutual respect.

He added that recent years have witnessed the signing of 16 agreements, 6 memoranda of understanding, 3 protocols and 4 executive programmes, based on cooperation and coordination agreements between the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the Jordan Chamber of Industry. 

AMMAN — A collision on Sunday between a passenger bus, a dump truck and two vehicles on the Desert Highway injured 68 people, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Civil Defence Department personnel responded to the accident and administered first aid to the victims before evacuating them to the Karak, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and Prince Zeid Military hospitals and Al Hassa medical centre.The injured were reported to be in stable condition, according to Petra.

AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Saturday organised a three-day national workshop for the purpose of presenting, discussing and verifying the first draft of a report on areas of plant biodiversity importance in Jordan, according to an RSCN statement.

The report is one of the main axes of the National Initiative for Plant Biodiversity Protection, which the RSCN launched in December 2018 and plans to complete in November 2021.

The initiative aims to integrate these important areas for plant biodiversity, known as Key Biodiversity Areas, into the national framework for planning plant conservation programmes.

The workshop, which comes under the initiative's umbrella, seeks to prepare and verify the validity of the national report and discuss it with various national partners in order to meet the initiative's goals, the statement said. 

AMMAN — A regional project to streamline and coordinate efforts to preserve and develop coastal areas in Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon and Italy, with the ultimate aim of improving the use of coastal and marine resources, was launched in Aqaba on Sunday.

The Mediterranean Forum for Applied Ecosystem-Based Management project seeks to contribute to the preservation and sustainable development of Mediterranean coastal zones for future generations, according to a United Nations Development Programme statement.

It will focus on marine and coastal environments in partnership with NGOs, the private sector and research institutions, and will introduce new approaches and innovative tools for coastal zone management as an integral part of social and economic development, read the statement.